I knew it wouldn’t do any good, but I couldn’t help asking, “Why?”
Her eyes were hot, her voice a growl as she stepped towards me, “Why? You dare ask me why?” Her hand whipped out at me, catching my cheekbone and eye socket hard. “You ignored rank. You are an abomination, and you call the princes by their given names. You have our Captain guarding you as though you are a great and beautiful treasure when all you are is a conniving, vicious, thieving whore. You have spent days receiving special attention from the princes. They have touched you. Claimed you as one of their own, when they have not yet even picked Valkyries for their mates.” Spittle flew from her mouth as she spoke, her cheeks flashing with rage. She had a lot of anger for someone who didn’t even know me.
My face throbbed, and the corner of my eye began to swell impairing my vision. Her hand whipped out again, this time catching me across the mouth. My teeth cut hard into my lip, and I could taste the blood that seeped into my mouth. “We heard the way the princes talked to you. As if you were special. Chosen.” Her lips twisted, and a growl worked its way up her throat. “The princes will choose the strongest amongst the Valkyries as their ladies. It is how it has always been. We will be among the chosen. I will not share one of them with an abomination.” Her hand lashed out a third time and a fourth, blows landing on my face and stomach.
Cecilia stepped forward, a mocking smile on her face. “Emberly, I don’t believe you know my sisters.” She gestured towards the Valkyrie who continued to lash out at me. “This is Eliza, and the other is Mara.” Her grin spread wider as she watched cuts open on my skin as Eliza continued to take her rage out on my bound and helpless body. “I was so excited when I realized they would be part of your guard. They are half-sisters, you see, so we didn’t grow up together. The captain had no reason to think them disloyal. But when they heard what you tried to do to me, what you tried to do to the princes…” She trailed off and pouted her lips, shaking her head as if deeply disappointed in me.
Mara stepped forward. Her eyes were flashing as she studied me. “Hold, Eliza. I want to see if what the Master Healer told the king is true.” Eliza growled but slowed her blows. She stepped away from me, though she spat on me for good measure. I had forced my body to stay still under the assault, keeping my eyes as dry as I could. I blinked blood out of them now, trying to see around the swelling that had closed my right eye nearly shut. As minutes passed, I could feel my skin begin to knit together again, the stinging itch a constant sensation.
Staring intently, Mara hissed as the cut next to my eye closed. “He was telling the truth.” The smile she gave had no humor in it at all. “Well, I’m glad we came prepared this time then.” Turning to Cecilia and Mistress Lynn she instructed, “Turn her over.” The two jumped to do her bidding, wrenching me onto my stomach and smashing my face against the cold, stone table I was laying on.
“Rebind her to the table,” Mara ordered. My hands were jerked out to the sides, hard enough that I heard a shoulder pop out of the socket. I couldn’t contain the small cry that escaped my mouth. Mistress Lynn chuckled beside me as she cut through the bindings on my right arm.
“No one will hear you down here. These tunnels are sound-proofed. Only the Elders and a few, chosen Valkyries know of their existence. They are in place to hide any visiting dignitaries in the event of an attack. You could set off a bomb down here, and no one would know.” There went my hope of Tesha finding me.
I knew that they wouldn’t be satisfied with injuring me tonight. They would kill me, slowly and painfully, and I would never be found. Mara confirmed my thoughts with her next statment. “It will look as though you ran away. A surprise attack took out Eliza and me, and you ran away, evading the justice that the king was sure to heap on your head for daring to attack a high-ranking Valkyrie.”
The bonds had been wrapped all the way around the table. I was splayed on my stomach, my arms out to the side. Pain throbbed through my dislocated arm or where it was twisted sideways against the stone. I closed my eyes tightly and called my princes into my mind. If I was going to die, I wasn’t going to allow the sight of these evil females to be the last thing I saw. I wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of hearing me beg. I breathed deeply, sinking into my memories. Building them up around me. I knew blows were falling on me, one after the other, but in my head I was lying in a deep bathing pool, smelling their soaps as they coated my skin.
For a moment I was yanked from the fantasy, a screech of agony rending from my body as I arched away from the searing pain that crossed my back. Eliza’s voice whispered in my ear. “The tips of these blades have venom in them. You wanted wings so badly we’re going to carve them from your back. The venom will burn hotter with every pass of the knife. Even your healing skills aren’t going to be able to catch up to what we’re doing to you.”
I believed her. Nothing had ever hurt this badly before. The tearing, pulsing, burning pain radiated out from where the knives carved into my back. I could feel it in every vein, in every pore, in every gasp of air that I dragged into my lungs. Reaching out, I locked myself in my head. No, I wouldn’t die like this. Using every bit of strength I possessed, I pulled a small section of my mind inside a wall. A wall that I built higher and higher, surrounding myself like a steel room. A wall made of the rush of wings as I tore through the sky, the rustle of books, the sound of rain, the green of summertime. I let my princes protect me, act as a wall around the pain. A part of me still knew what was happening, but I let that portion of myself go. The princes were all I needed in my death. I was drowning in their scents, their colors, wave after wave pouring over my burning body. Then I felt nothing at all.
Agony woke me. A screaming, blinding pain that caused my body to instinctively buck. Hot hands held me where I lay as something vile was poured into my mouth. I gagged and sputtered, trying to spit it out but hands clamped over my mouth, forcing me to swallow. The agony consumed me, and I was pulled under yet again.
The pain had eased slightly when I awoke again. The depth of it still caused me to moan, each breath feeling like I was burning. My back felt shredded, the burn from it pressing down into my ribs. A cool hand stroked my forehead as an angry voice screeched, “I am trying to fix it! I don’t know what they used on her! If it weren’t for her abilities, she would be dead already. As it is, she’s healing minutely enough to keep herself alive, but not enough to heal her back!” The voice was thick with exhaustion and anger and tickled my memory.
“Master Jaison?” The words were a barely croaked whisper, all that my agonized body could produce. Silence instantly reigned in the room as feet hurried toward me.
“Emberly! Gods be praised. You’re safe now, youngling. I’m doing all I can.” His voice was torn, I could hear the desperation and pain as he tried to console me with soft fingers against my skin.
“Venom.” I managed to push out, my body screaming at each syllable. “They used venom.” Swearing rolled over me, and the pain pulled me under again in a crashing wave of static and heat.
I opened my eyes, surprised at the lack of pain. Only a tingling sensation remained. Voices whipped around me, harsh and filled with worry. “Emberly, don’t you dare leave us Emberly!” I knew that voice. Flynn, I thought. I turned my gaze, trying to seek him out. That was odd, I thought dispassionately, as I saw him kneeling on the floor. Why would a prince kneel? His brothers surrounded him. I looked at them each one by one, my chest tightening minutely as I drank them in. Gemstones in living flesh, now slicked with sweat and blood where they knelt in a circle around a small bed. I wondered what had them so concerned, what had the harsh lines dug into their faces, their lips pressed so hard together, their eyes hot and hollow. I wanted to help. I focused my attention where they looked and gasped in shock.
That was me on the bed! My hair was mused, going in different directions. I lay on my stomach on a small bed with pure white sheets. The sheets had splatters of blood spread across them. I could see that the blood had been leak
ing down my back. Huge, gaping wounds stretched from the back of my neck to my waist, carved precisely where wings should have been. I could see the outline of my rib cage amidst the mess of blood and torn flesh. My eyes were closed, my chest barely moving, my skin whiter than the sheets I rested on.
Blaine pounded his fist into the floor, his citrine eyes flashing. “Damnit, Jaison, do something!”
The Master Healer was slumped at the head of the bed, his tunic drenched in sweat and blood. “I am so sorry, my prince. There is nothing else I can do. I will continue giving her the tonic that will keep her unconscious and away from the pain, but I cannot fight the venom for her. Her body is fighting it on its own. If – “ His words cut off as he cleared his throat, large tears streaking down his cheeks drawing tracks in the blood that was streaked there, “if she is able to, she may pull through. We must believe in her strength now. It’s the only thing left.”
I didn’t want Master Jaison to cry. He had been so kind to me. I reached out to stroke my fingers down his face, to soothe as much as I could, but I couldn’t move.
Jett buried his head against my thigh, stroking with his fingers. “Don’t leave us, Emberly. Please.” His seductive, silky voice was cracked and broken, his eyes dry and hot where his face pressed against the bare skin of my leg.
Hunter played his fingers through my hair, straightening each strand as he went. “You can fight it, Emberly. Your gift is healing. Come back to us.”
Neel’s sapphire wings were tipped with blood as he stroked them up and down my arms. “We need you, Emberly. I’m so sorry we didn’t protect you. Please, come back. Let us show you that we can take care of you.” His voice was tight, the planes of his face hard as his wings trailed down to my fingers.
I didn’t want them to be sad. I wanted to be with them too. I could feel a pull coming from where my body lay on the table. A part of me knew that I had to be willing, that this would hurt more than anything I had ever experienced before. This was a choice. Was this what I wanted? Were they what I wanted?
I was free of the pain now. Of the burden of being an abomination, a cursed child, in a world of strong, capable, free females. Did I want that pain back? That burden back?
I looked at each of their faces, the ragged lines, the droop of their wings. Yes, I decided. I wanted them. I didn’t know what would happen when I followed that pull. Didn’t know what the future would hold for us. I was still an abomination; they were still princes. There was one of me and five of them. But I knew enough to know I wanted to follow that pull. Yes, I thought to myself. Yes, I want the pain. If I can have the pleasure too.
With that, I sunk back into my body. My eyes whipped open as the burn raged through me. I screamed, long and loud, my body arching against the shock of the pain filling me. I knew the guys were there, could hear them around me, but all I could feel was pain. I screamed again, the heat centering on my back. My voice was broken, shattered, and yet I screamed anyway, a silent wail that seemed to come from my very soul. Oh gods, it hurt. It was too much, the heat, the tearing, the agony of this body.
Jett’s voice filled my ears as he cradled my head, his vanilla scent filling my nose for a minute, breaking apart the smells of blood and sweat. “Oh, Emberly. You have to hold on. We’re here. We’re with you, you’re not alone. Fight for us, Emberly. Trust us, and fight.”
I did trust them. My princes. The ones who made me laugh, who confused me, who made me feel things I had never known were possible. I focused on the way their wings had felt against me, their hands. The heat in my back slowly began to change. Cries that weren’t mine began to pierce the room, hard voices calling out. I couldn’t focus on what they were saying. All I could focus on was the heat of my back, the brush of their wings, the feel of their skin on mine. A last wave of agony poured over me. With another silent shriek, I collapsed back onto the bed, my body dripping with sweat and blood.
I reached out my fingers, my hands shaking so badly I could barely control them. One hand on each side of myself I managed to brush along each of the guys. “It’s ok. I need to sleep, now. It’s ok.” The cracked, ragged whisper didn’t even sound like real speech, but it was all I could press out. I allowed the darkness to take me again, sinking into a pool of bright gold.
Chapter Nine
The brush of feathers against my back woke me. I smiled slightly, wondering which of them had been unable to prevent themselves from stroking my back. I cracked heavy eyes open, searching the room. Slumped in a heap on the floor, all the princes lay together in a tangle of limbs, wings, and blankets. I couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across my face. They looked like a rainbow of puppies, all heaped together in a blend of blue, red, orange, green, and black. My smile dropped as my brain caught up with me. If they were all piled together on the floor, who was stroking my back?
My heart dropped, and I whirled in fear, placing myself between the princes and the intruder. Strangely, there was no one there. I was so confused. What was going on? I knew I felt wings against me. I whipped my head back towards the princes, and I screamed.
All of them tore out of their heap, their eyes wide as they tripped over and stepped on one another. Blaine was the first into a fighting stance, pushing me behind him. “What is it?” He cried, the crackling, leather sound of his voice hoarse from sleep.
“I… but… what… huh?” I fell back onto my butt on the bed. The princes all sat with me, ringing my body protectively with theirs.
“Are you in pain?” Jett asked, his soft, sweet voice sounding broken. I wasn’t, but it sounded like he was!
“No, no pain.” I managed to squeeze out.
Hunter jumped from the bed, his hands reaching out to stroke my face. “You’re awake! Oh, thank the gods, Emberly. You scared us to death! I need to call for Master Jaison.” He turned his head towards the doorway of the chamber, yelling out at the top of his lungs, “Tesha!”
The door opened and a familiar head poked in. “Your Highness?” The voice was dull as she spoke, her eyes remaining glued to the floor.
“Get Master Jaison, now!” He cried, not tearing his eyes away from me. Without lifting her gaze, she nodded and closed the door behind her.
Flynn scooped me into his arms, burrowing his face in the crook of my neck. “You are never to scare me like that again, do you understand? That’s a command, Emberly.” The others nodded. They all stroked over my skin: my neck, my face, my arms, my legs. It was as if they couldn’t believe I was really there.
As much as I enjoyed their touch, I tried to shake off the blanket of shock that had frozen me where I sat. I only managed to get out one word, harsh and wheezing as it was. “Wings?” I gasped.
Smiles lit their faces as they looked at me. Neel twined strands of my hair around his finger as he reached behind me, running a finger down my back – and the wings that rested there. “Yes, Emberly. You’ve got wings.” His answer was straightforward, but his face was wreathed in glee. I turned my head, trying to see better.
“Wait!” Blaine called, as I craned my neck. “Don’t hurt yourself! Let me get some mirrors.” He scurried to the side of the room, bringing a full-length mirror back to the edge of the bed with him. Their gemstone wings drew my gaze, and I followed their wings down to tight, bronze skin. My eyes continued to track across the image that was reflected in front of me, tracing the planes of their faces, and following their outstretched arms. My eyes tracked across my fair skin, flushed slightly pink in places now around the white tunic I wore. My dark hair was mussed from sleep, and my eyes were far too wide in my face. Half-folded behind me, where the princes continued to stroke them, were a pair of gorgeous wings.
It was hard to breathe, my breaths coming in sharp, uneven pants as I stared. I could see the broad, transfixed smiles of the guys in the mirror as I stared, trying to get my brain to process what I was seeing. The wings that stretched behind me were large and soft. The feathers looked as though they had been carved from pure gold, each shining and reflecti
ng the shafts of light that hit it. The edges of my wings were capped in a rainbow of colors – each wing a different shade, like the prisms of a diamond – reflecting back shots of red, blue, green, orange, and black to shine off the gold and continue the rainbow.
“What in the world?” I gasped.
“You’re magnificent,” Blaine said simply, where he continued to stand holding the mirror. His citrine eyes whirled as he stared at me. “I’ve never seen anything more beautiful.”
The others murmured their assent as gentle fingers continued to stroke across the feathers one by one. That felt wonderful, actually, I thought to myself.
Laughter rang out around me, and I flushed red, smiling sheepishly. “I guess I said that out loud, huh?”
The door slammed open behind me, and Hunter, Flynn, Neel, and Jett all jumped to their feet in a guard stance between me and whoever had come through the door.
“She’s awake?” The voice quaked as it asked.
I pushed against the wall of wings in front of me, wanting to see Master Jaison. “Master Jaison! Yes, I’m awake.” My pushing was not having any effect on the where the guys stood, a wall of living flesh in front of me. Exasperated, I reached out and ran my fingers down Flynn’s sides to tickle him.
He whirled on me. “Hey! That’s not fair!” He stated, smiling widely down at me.
I grinned back at him, wrinkling my nose. “I want to see Master Jaison.”
The others turned to look at me, their eyes concerned. They gently reached back to stroke their fingers over my face and wings, moving aside slightly so that Master Jaison could stride forward but not reach me fully.
Master Jaison sighed but didn’t try to push the issue. “Emberly, do you hurt anywhere?” He asked, his eyes full of concern and wonder as he watched me.
I shook my head, moving to stand up. Restraining hands reached out to keep me seated, and I exhaled slowly. “I don’t hurt at all. Actually, I feel wonderful.”
The Valkyrie's Princes Page 10
